Apocalypse: Turning Back Time
by wuzimiko
Summary: It was midnight when grey snow silently descended from the heavens. Ryoma tugged at the scarf around his neck and buried his nose in it. Three days left to the apocalypse. He shut his eyes. 【BL/Mature/Violence/Supernatural/All-Ryoma/Need BETA】
1. Chapter 00-Please Read

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own PoT.

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【Chapter 00 - Please Read】

This story belongs to a genre of chinese novels that can be roughly translated to "Apocalyptic Novels". This means that it would be slightly different from normal zombie films, where people mostly rely on ammunition to fight against the undead. ( Not sure about this though as I hardly watch american zombie films ^_^; )

In such genre, the end of the world normally starts with grey snow, which brings about the outbreak of "heat disease" (high fever). When the snow ended, the mutation was complete - those who survive the fever either recover as normal human beings, or gain special abilities ; those who didn't pull through became zombies. Both zombies and humans can evolve to higher stages, as they absorb energy from "crystals", which can be found within zombies and people with abilities.

In this story, Ryoma had survived 7 years in the zombie-filled Japan before he finally died. He opened his eyes and found his limbs still attached to his body, he's still a 13 years old kid, and is still alive. His alarm clock showed a date six months before the apocalypse happened. The morning breeze felt so good against his skin, and karupin's purr brought peace to him. He could hear Momo calling out his name from his house's gate. For some reasons he had turned back time, and now he has a chance to write a new ending not just for himself, but also for those around him.

It is under this background that I wrote this story. Hope that you guys would be less confused ^_^

P.S I am usually careless with grammar etc so I do need a BETA. Anyone interested? Haha.


	2. Chapter 01-Waking Up to a New Morning

Disclaimer: I do not own PoT.

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【Chapter 01 - Waking Up to a New Morning】

**NOTE**

S - Stage. S1 zombies would mean Stage 1 zombies. These are lowest level zombies. They move clumsily and slowly. One can become a zombie if they are hurt by a S1 zombie. S1 zombies can evolve into S2 zombies, and from there onwards.

L - Level. Same as Stage, just that it's used to denote the evolution level of humans with abilities. The higher the level, the more powerful the person's ability is.

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"Just round the corner, there's...about twenty S1 zombies, and...two S3 zombies." Ryuuzaki Sakuno pressed to see more, but fatigue caused her vision to get hazy.

She opened her eyes and shook her head. "I can't see more." she said as she collapsed into Ryoga's embrace, her forehead burning with fever. Worry flashed past Ryoga's eyes as he ruffled the short hair of his wife. He exchanged a look with Ryoma, who clutched the metal rod in his hand tighter than ever.

"S3 zombies...both of us just reached L3 yesterday. We can handle the S1s, but it's beyond our ability to finish off the S3s," Ryoga paused, "and Sakuno can't fight, at least not now."

"But if we are careful enough, we should be able to make it," said Ryoma, "the safe area is just in front of us. We don't have to kill them, we just need to get past them."

"Right." Ryoga nodded, picking Sakuno up in his arms. Coldness claimed his eyes. "Let's go."

On the street filled with roaming zombies, an alarm clock cut through the air and landed on somewhere near the other end of the street.

5,

4,

3,

2,

1 -

"RIIIING!" a piercing sound attracted the attention of the wandering zombies. S1 zombies slowly turned their bodies and clumsily moved towards the source of noise, while the eyes of the two S3 zombies gleamed.

"Now! " Ryoga gritted his teeth. Ryoma emerged from their hiding spot and threw a large fireball at one of the S3 zombies. The zombie screeched and turned around, while rotten meat melted away from her bones. Seemingly sensing her partner's agony, the other S3 zombie fixed her eyes on Ryoma.

A slight tremble ran down Ryoma's spine. "It's okay, I can do this. " He muttered under his breath as he injected heat into the rod in his left hand. The rod began to turn red.

At the next instant, both S3 zombies plunged at Ryoma - the green-haired boy smashed the rod into the nearest zombie's skull with all his might and tossed another fireball at the other. Sizzling sounds emerged by his ear, coupled by the repulsive smell of burnt rotten meat. Clang! A crystal rolled from the skull of the S3 zombie that took a direct hit from the rod. One down!

He pushed himself back and pulled to a safe distance from the still standing S3 zombie. With the S1s distracted and the remaining S3's attention fixed on himself, Ryoma managed to create a zombie-free route, even if it's just for a few seconds.

"Move!" Ryoma yelled as he charged at the recovering S3 zombie, hoping to gain more time for his brother and sister-in-law.

Ryoga came out from their hiding spot and dashed across the street with all his might, while carrying an extremely pale Sakuno. As a L3 Speed user, the small gap Ryoma created was enough for him to get his wife to the other end of the street.

The safe area is just around the corner! Just...another turn!

Ryoma froze as he heard Sakuno scream in despair. He turned and his knees gave way.

An S4 zombie emerged...from the direction of the safe area. Ryoma recognised the "tidbit" that he's munching on - that's the head of the area's leader. The temperature quickly dropped and soon snow was formed, even though the midday sun still hung over their heads.

An Ice-ability S4 zombie!

"Urghh" Ice crept up from Ryoga's legs and covered his whole body, crushing his bones from the inside. Blood seeped from his skin, drenching the ice deep red. He tried to struggle against it but life finally left his eyes...Sakuno fell from his arms and fell hard onto the ground, and in seconds a pool of blood formed under her. She ignored the blood and got up, sobbing and trying to get her husband out of the ice.

"Please, no! Ryoga!" he heard Sakuno sob. The smell of blood caused the S1 zombies to turn away from the alarm clock and closed in to the couple. Tears blurred his sight as he witnessed Sakuno plunging a dagger towards the S4, her eyes glazed with hatred. Before she can reach him, ice kept her firmly on the ground. The S4 zombie let out a shriek, and the S1 zombies bared their sharp teeth at Sakuno. "Ryoga..." Sakuno muttered before life too left her body.

Chomp! Chomp! Ryoma stared at the zombies tearing meat from his family's corpses. A searing pain shot up from his shoulder, and he saw his own limb in the mouth of the S3 zombie he tried so hard to keep away from Ryoga and Sakuno. The loss of an arm left him defenseless against the army of zombies.

How could they possibly survive? There was no chance at all.

He felt teeth sinking into his other arm. Those were arms that he took utmost care of since he was four. "You have great hands, Ryoma," he remembered his old man's words, from a long time ago.

"You have great hands, Ryoma. Take good care of them, for they will take you far in the world of tennis." His hands! His hands! Tears streamed down the cheeks of the 20 year old. Why?! Why?! What have he done to deserve this?!

His eyes turned gold as he engulfed himself in flames. He was never a person who would just bow to fate like that!

"Arghhhhhh!"

Flames consumed Ryoma as he threw himself at the S4 zombie with all his might. Ice freckles melted upon contact with his flames, unable to stop the burning boy. Swarms of S1 zombies tried to tear the boy away from the S4 zombie, but they were all reduced to ashes before they could reach him. Sparks flew in all directions and soon the whole street was on fire.

Amidst the shrieks and painful moans of the zombies, one can still hear the piercing sound made by the battery-run alarm.

"Riiing!"

Gasp! Ryoma sat up from his bed, his forehead drenched with cold sweat. He slapped down the alarm and pulled it up close. 7:05am...25-06-20XX? A...dream?

He delved into the washroom and stared at the mirror. There was no scar on his face. His skin was still white and smooth, unlike during the apocalypse, where it was burnt and scarred all over. Raven-coloured hair slightly ruffled when he got up from bed, and his limbs were still intact. His height... He was still 13 years old.

His Himalayan cat snuggled against his ankle.

Karupin! He held the cat close to his heart, and finally, sobbed quietly. The morning breeze felt good against his skin, and karupin's purr brought warmth to his heart, just as always. He could hear Momo calling out his name from his house's gate. Everything was still normal.

But he knew that this security will not last. The apocalypse will happen. And he has only six months to prepare for it.

Just that in this very instant, he was grateful that he can at least wake up to a new morning.

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Author's note: Or maybe I should pull the rating up to M? Lets see first ^_^ This is going to be quite a long story, I think.


	3. Chapter 02-Preparing for the Worst pt1

Disclaimer: I do not own PoT.

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【Chapter 02 - Preparing for the Worst (Part 1 of 3)】

"Itadakimasu!"

Rinko looked at the thirteen year old worriedly as her boy swallowed rice chopstick after chopstick, scavaging all the dishes in front of him like there's no tomorrow.

Ryoma sensed his mother's hesitant gaze, but he could not control his actions. A breakfast considered simple by most people, in the eyes of Ryoma, was an extremely luxurious meal for him. Rice! Vegetables! Meat! During the apocalypse, only those among the top ranks get to enjoy a proper meal. As far as Ryoma can remember, a full day of hard work only got him a piece of brick hard bread, a couple of biscuits and a bottle of bitter tasting water.

It had been so long since he tasted food so delicious.

Cough!Cough!

"Ryoma! Are you okay? Here, have some water." Nanako immediately passed a cup of water. Rinko hurriedly came over and patted his back.

He took the cup from his cousin's hands and finished it in two gulps.

"Lad, you're eating too fast. Calm down!" Nanjirou lifted his head from his precious erotic magazine and furrowed his brows. His son may be insensitive at times, yes, but he is not one to make his family worry. Something must be wrong with his boy.

"I..I'm fine." Ryoma's eyes reddened before replying hoarsely. He wanted to tell his family the truth, but what can he say?

I'm actually already twenty years old; I came back seven years from the future. The apocalypse is coming, let's sell everything we have to buy necessities, we need them to survive this disaster. As for Ryoga, he will reach Japan three months later, we have to get him back to our side. Although all of you will die on the very night of the zombie outbreak, but this may not be the case with this time. If we work together, we can survive this.

He wanted to tell them all these, but he couldn't. For seven years he struggled to survive in a world of extreme cruelty, and if there was a lesson to be learnt, that would be not to believe in meaningless hope. He's certain that his family will believe his words, but he didn't want them to spend their last moments overwhelmed by fear, worry and a sense of impending doom. To him, nothing is more precious than his family. He loved them with all his heart, even though he usually masks this with a nonchalant and cocky attitude.

In his previous life, too many people he cared about had left him, be it by death, or by betrayal. Now that he got a chance to reunite with his family, even if it's for one last time, he want to enjoy this last period of bliss where he can behave like a kid, where his parents are still by his side. Call it selfishness but he want them to enjoy peace and happiness without knowledge of what lie in wait for them.

That's the least he can do as a son, as a family member.

He buried his head into the pile of rice before him, hiding his tears. Taking care not to let the tremble in his voice leak, he spoke up.

"Hey Dad...if you're free later, let's have a match."

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The hospital seem more crowded than usual,Yukimura thought as he waited for his turn. He felt a little giddy from his fever,but it was still not that bad.

"Yukimura-kun?" A nurse looked up from the clipboard in her hands and smiled at the teen, "You may go in now."

"Thank you." Yukimura returned a friendly smile and got up from his seat.

Knock Knock.

"Please come in."

"I'm coming in."

The consultation room consisted of a doctor's working desk, an examination bed and several medical equipments. Yukimura sat down in front of the doctor, and after some questions he underwent the common body checks.

"You have a slight fever. Though it seem to be just common flu it's still better to take caution, especially with your medical history. As your doctor, I'd need you stay in the hospital for a couple of days until you fully recover. Do contact Mrs Yukimura about your hospitalisation."

"Yes, I'll do just that, Doctor Yamazaki. Thank you."

He nodded slightly before leaving the room.

* * *

Yukimura trailed behind the nurse and frowned slightly. The hallway was packed with patients, and the air was exceptionally stifling. He fished out his phone and saw a missed call.

"Hello? Echizen?"

"Ah..how do you know? I'm at the hospital...Yes, I'd need to stay for a few days."

"Yes, it's really crowded here."

"What do you mean by 'leave the hospital before December 22nd'? I'll just be hospitalised for a few days. You do know that it's still June now, right?..."

"Okay, I promise to leave the hospital if I'm still here at that time. Yes, I promise to do that."

Yukimura looked at his screen thoughtfully as the conversation pop-up disappeared into the phone's background.

At the hospital's main entrance, a certain green haired teen clutched his phone in his hands. He took a last glance at the hospital before taking a step in the opposite direction.

Dad, Mum, Nanako.

It's beyond my ability to save you all from your fates.

But for those who he know will survive...

This time, he will try for a better ending for all of them. No, he will write a new ending.

A lot of things will go wrong. A lot of things will go beyond control. Although he knew what the future hold for them, he has got not say over anything.

He is no saviour. He just want to survive.

That's why, the only thing he can do, is to prepare himself for the worst to come.

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A/N: I really need Beta! *tears* I'm hopeless at checking!


	4. Chapter 03-Preparing for the Worst pt2

Disclaimer: I do not own PoT.

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【Chapter 02 - Preparing for the Worst ( Part 2 of 3 )】

A brown haired teen pushed the door open and the all boys in the room saw him immediately. "Yo, Tezuka,"Fuji got up and waved a small wave, "long time no see."

"Buchou." Ryoma got up as well and greeted, his eyes fixed at Tezuka.

"Yo Tezuka!" "Buchou." "How are you Tezuka?" "Tezuka buchou."... The regulars greeted Tezuka one by one. Tezuka adjusted his glasses, his expression stoic as ever, but he was glad to see his friends again. "Fuji, Oishi, ,Eiji,Inui, Takashi, Kaidoh,Momoshiro,Echizen." He nodded, "It's been long."

The boys took some time to settle down. "Saa Echizen, why did you call us here? You even insisted Tezuka to come back from Germany." Fuji asked.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Ryoma took a deep breath and finally made out two sentences.

"Na...sempai-tachi."

"I need all of you to listen to me carefully."

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Apocalypse Year 3.

The long winter finally ended on New Year's Day.

For six months, all of earth was covered in snow. The bitter weather killed countless civilians, but also weakened the zombies, allowing humans to catch their breath. For humans with "Abilities", this was a time that their powers increased by leap and bounds. They discovered the use of crystals that are formed within skulls of L2 zombies and above, and used them to quickly heighten their skills. Such humans are referred to as SAs, meaning humans with "Special Abilities".Research about zombies has also commenced, where they now divide zombies into Stages and SAs into Levels.

Bases and safe areas were built during this time, and people's life slowly resumed to normal. That is, if you define "eat, live, sleep and wander aimlessly" as a normal life. Bases are cities where humans managed to fend off zombies, and are where majority of survivors now live. Bases are built by either the government, or by individuals with extremely powerful abilities. Safe areas are areas like a small town, where survivors who couldn't make it to the bases gather. Guards of these locations are made up of military officers with heavy ammunition, as well as SAs. Whenever a zombie wander too near these safe areas, guards will quickly kill them off before they attract more zombies.

For the common people, the relatively peaceful life brought about regulation and order. Especially so when they heard that in some bases, there are SAs who reached L4 during winter.

Such as Fuji and Oishi.

Safe Area 3.

Ryoma ran a high fever while Fuji and Oishi stood guard. Among the regulars, only Fuji, Oishi, Eiji and Ryoma managed to get together. They did receive words that all other regulars had awakened as SAs, but they do not know for Tezuka. The captain was still in Germany when the zombie outbreak happened, so they had no idea how he was doing in this apocalypse.

"Fuji, I see a lot of zombies closing in! I can't see much, but I see a whole army of S1 zombies, followed by a line of S2s. I sense a couple of S3s at the back but I can't make out their exact locations." Oishi frowned at what he saw.

Oishi's ability, Sight, allows him to observe and analyse a radius of area with him as the centre. However, the further his sight reach, the blurer the imagery. If he can sense the zombies this clearly, with Oishi's level, this meant that the zombies will take at most half-a-day to reach them.

Something's amiss, Fuji thought, zombies don't attack like that. They usually roam about aimlessly, attacking all living creatures in their way. But the way Oishi put it, it was as if the zombies are organized.

Organized?Organized... organized!

Have the zombies gained intelligence?!

"Oishi, we need to leave! Now!" Fuji jumped out of his chair, eyes sharp with his revelation.

"Wait! Eiji's still out there!" Oishi caught Fuji's arm and said,"I need to get him back!"

Fuji quickly sought for the best course of action, "Oishi, use your Sight to find Eiji; meanwhile I'll quickly tie things up here. We'll gather at the entrance in an hour's time and head to the next safe area together."

"Got it." Oishi replied as he got up, but paused at the door. "Hey Fuji...If I didn't manage to meet you both in an hour, leave for the next safe area first. Head north...that's where the zombies are most sparse."

Ryoma could hardly open his eyes, but he could still hear his sempai's conversation. He managed to see a slit of light, only to capture the backview of the Vice-captain. He never saw him and Eiji again.

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The story was far from its ending, but the atmosphere was almost too heavy to bear. Ryoma tried to continue but found himself unable to speak another word. Oishi sempai, Eiji sempai... Things that he couldn't bear to do to his family, he had done it on his seniors.

"Let's say." Fuji's voice cut in abruptly, capturing everyone's attention. "Lets say that this apocalypse will really happen. I guess that from your story, most of us will die, am I right?"

Ryoma hesitated. "I don't know. I got separated from all of you after the zombie raid. But I am not optimistic about your endings."

"So you're trying to make the future better? Since you know that all Seigaku regulars will awaken as SAs, you felt that we have a better chance in surviving if we can stand together." Inui commented.

"Yes." admitted Ryoma. After several moments, Tezuka finally spoke. "I understand where this is going. However, what we have are only abilities. To survive, we need a lot more things. Things like..."

Vroom!

"Like large amount of food, water, clothings and medicine."

A helicopter hovered over the Echizen household, where a purple haired teen clung on the ladder descended from it. All regulars except Ryoma were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the egoist.

"Echizen! Ore-sama has arrived!"

"Shut up, Atobe. You're late."

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Author's note: I finally reached the part about Atobe...*dies of exhaustion*


	5. Please Read(NOT a discontinuation chap!)

Hey guys don't worry this is NOT a notice to say that I'm stopping this story. Instead this story is completed in my mind, just that I don't have any time to write it out or even upload them! I've gotten a job offer in April where I had to stand from 10am to 10pm almost every day(we don't have chairs here!) and that seriously made even lifting a single finger a torture...So I'm really, really sorry for my sudden disappearance (for those who care XD ) because that was the time when fatigue finally claimed me and all I could do was to sleep through the 1 hr bus journey (to and return) instead of writing another chapter like I always did. For darknesslight13 and all who took the effort to PM me, I'm happy that you all liked my story...about the updates, my contract will end around mid-June (I was supposed to end work yesterday, but my contract was extended for another 1.5 month's more...==) So I think around late June you all can expect regular updates ^_^" The story will be completed. So meanwhile you guys can just wander into other stories *chuckles* until I get this job done XD Anyways thank you so much for all who are concerned, and till then, Ja ne~~

Wuzimiko with lots of love. *^_^*


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